All Is Well
by lumoslumiere
Summary: Everyone is worried about Artemis. She's been doing very well, the team thinks, but at night she misses him so much and the grief takes over.
1. Chapter 1

M'gann paced in front of the bathroom door with a worried expression. It had been 3 weeks since Wally passed away and, though Artemis had shown a brave face while on team missions, M'gann knew the wound was still fresh and that she was going through a severe depression. This week she had asked Kaldur if she could stay in the team's new headquarters for a while. She said she needed to surround herself with people or she would "go down the drain". That's what she'd said. Dick, whom no one had seen since he gave took his leave of absence heard Artemis was there and had decided to stay with the team as well. M'gann wasn't sure, but she thought that through Artemis Dick could feel the last pieces of Wally that remained in this plane of existence So he took this as an opportunity to be close to Artemis, to grieve with her, even though he said he was just looking after her. At around 1am M'gann had woken up to signs of distress from Artemis, her mind was screaming out. When she came out of her sleep M'gann could hear her sobs through the walls. She had hugged Artemis, held her tight, and then she'd asked if she could shower, so M'gann helped her into the bathroom and closed the door. But she couldn't go back to sleep. She was so scared Artemis would do something crazy in her grief, so she just paced outside the bathroom door, listening to the water from the shower hit the tub.

"M'gann?", she jumped at the sound of her name. It was Dick, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he walked towards her. "What are you doing up so late?"

She looked down. "It's Artemis. She…she wasn't doing very well. She asked me to help her to the shower so I did but-", she hesitated "I'm afraid she'll do something crazy so I'm keeping an eye on her…"

Dick looked down, a pained expression coming into his eyes. "I thought she was doing better…"

"I think that's what she wants us to believe." M'gann said quietly. "But at night…she misses him so much and she just-"

The tears came into M'gann's eyes and she brought her hand up to her mouth, surprised at the sudden pain she felt for her friend.

"I'm very worried about her, Dick." she said. "And I'm worried about you. I haven't seen you cry once and it's not healthy to hold everything in like this!"

"I can't- M'gann you don't understand-"

Dick was suddenly interrupted by a slam. The sound of something hard hitting the edge of the tub. The sound of a body slamming to the floor.

"Artemis!" M'gann exclaimed. Dick threw his body against the door and opened it by force. And there she was, Artemis, naked, vulnerable, and unconscious on the bathroom floor.

"Artemis!" M'gann exclaimed again running to her and assessing her vital signs. She was breathing and she seemed otherwise unharmed except for the bump on her head when she had fallen and the fact that she was unconscious. "She's fine." M'gann sighed with relief. "I think she just fainted."

Dick approached Artemis and covered her body with a towel before picking her up and carrying her to her bedroom. "M'gann, call Dinah and Dr. Randall. Let's make sure she's alright." he said, falling into the leader role.

"Right."

* * *

When Dinah and Oliver arrived, Dr. Randall was already seeing Artemis. Dick and M'gann waited silently outside the door.

"How is she?" Dinah asked.

"She conscious now, Dr. Randall is checking her." Dick answered.

Dinah put her hand on Oliver's shoulder before heading to the door. "I'll check on her."

When she entered the room her heart constricted at Artemis' appearance She had bags under her eyes and she looked so pale and tired. _Oh Artemis_, she thought, _Why have you been hiding from us?_

__"Hello Dr. Randall." Dinah said before turning to Artemis and giving her a smile. "How is she doing?"

"I'm fine." Artemis said in a weak voice.

Dr. Randall gave Dinah a small smile. "She seems to have just fainted, but could I talk to you for a moment. In private."

"Of course." Dinah said, following the doctor into the next room.. "Artemis, I'll be right back."

Once the door was closed Dinah let out of a sigh and turned towards the doctor. "It seems she's going through more distress than she led us to believe."

"Why that may have certainly been the cause of this fainting spell," the doctor started, "there may be a physical cause for it as well."

Dinah frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean Artemis is pregnant." Dr. Randall stated simply.

Dinah stared at him, her eyes closing as she thought about Artemis and what was happening. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely." said Dr. Randall. "I believe she's about 4 weeks along."

Dinah felt the sadness constrict around her lungs, taking the breath from her body. "Does she know?"

"No." the doctor said. "I thought it best if you informed her."

"Thank you, Dr. Randall." Dinah said.

The doctor nodded and left the room.

As Dinah walked back towards Artemis she wondered how the girl hadn't noticed any signs, but then realized she could've easily thought they were part of the pain she was going through.

"What did he say?" Artemis said, interrupting her thoughts, "Do I have some terminal disease or something like that?" She laughed bitterly.

Dinah gave her a small smile. "No, it's actually good news."

"Unless you're going to tell me Wally is alive, I fail to see what good news a doctor could have for me."

Dinah sat on the side of the bed and held her hand. "Artemis," she started, making the girl look into her eyes "you're pregnant."

Dinah say her eyes instantly fill with tears as she took the information in. "What?" she asked, her voice cracking.

Dinah held on tightly to her hand. "You're pregnant. About 4 weeks along, the doctor says."

"No." Artemis shakes her head as the tears start flowing steadily. "No, no, you can't do this to me now!"

"Artemis…" Dinah starts, pulling her closer.

"Why now, Dinah?!" she sobs, her eyes wild. "Why did I have to find out now?! Why couldn't I know before?! If I'd told him he wouldn't have gone, he would've stayed with me that day! He would still be here!"

Dinah just lets her cry out and holds her tightly to her chest.

"He always wanted this!" Artemis cried. "It's what he always wanted, I wasn't sure, but he wanted to have kids so badly…why did you leave now? Wally…"

Artemis crumbles against Dinah, her whole body becoming heavy as the sobs and the pain erupts from her. How could he do this to her? How could he leave her now when she needs him the most?

"Artemis…" Dinah starts, "You have someone to live for now, someone to fight for, someone to protect. Wally would've wanted you to do that. You've been given a little person that has a little bit of Wally in him…or her, someone to remember him by. A chance of a new life."

Dinah smiled at Artemis through her own tears.

Artemis gave a watery smile back. "Looks like we might have another speedster, huh?"

Dinah smiled.

* * *

It had taken Artemis a few hours to calm down and accept what was happening, but when she had she asked Dinah to call M'gann, Dick, Kaldur, Conner, the team that was at headquarters, and Oliver into the room so she could deliver the news.

They were gathered in a circled around her bed, all worried expressions and sadness. She felt on display, but she also felt safe. She felt at home.

"Don't look so worried, I'm not dying or anything." Artemis said as she stared at them through puffy eyes. "I have good news."

They seemed confused.

"I'm pregnant." and her eyes watered as soon as she said. _Come on Artemis, you need to be stronger than this, someone else is depending on you know._

It was quite amusing to see their faces of shock and awe. How M'gann brought her hand to her mouth and tears flowed from her eyes. How Kaldur gave a small reassuring smile. How Oliver seemed completely shocked. How Conner was confused, and how Dick's eyes filled with grief yet no tears flowed.

M'gann recovered first. She ran towards Artemis and hugged her tightly offering a quite "Congratulations."

Everyone else followed with well wishes except Dick, who stayed against the wall, staring at Artemis but seeing right through her. As everyone started leaving the room he finally approached her, sitting softly next to her.

"So there's a little bit of him growing inside you?" he asked, and for a moment she saw a little boy rather than a grown up one.

"That's how it works." she smiled, putting a hand gently on her abdomen.

Dick suddenly turned to her, a serious and intense look in his eyes.

"I will protect you." he started. "Both of you. I swear, nothing will ever happen to either of you."

"I know you will." she said.

"Artemis, I-"

"Hey," she put a hand of his cheek. "You can let go now Dick, I'll be strong this time."

And finally the tears flowed from his eyes as a primal sound tore itself from his throat. There was much pain he had been holding back because he had to be the strong one. But now Artemis was holding him and a little speedster was growing in her belly. It was the strange mix of pain and sadness and pleasure and just missing him. He was so glad he could finally give in.

Artemis ran hers hands through his hair and held him until morning, and he just cried and touched her belly to reassure himself Wally was there.

And Artemis finally felt hope fill her up, hope for a life she thought she'd lost forever.

All was well.


	2. Chapter 2

It's been two months since that fateful day. Artemis has stayed at head quarters mainly because she doesn't want to be alone and because all her teammates are only eager to help. They told everyone a few days after she found out. Barry hugged her tightly, Zatanna cried and planted kisses all over her face, Garfield smiled brightly and was so excited, and Bart had laid a hand over her stomach and smiled sadly. She wondered if he had seen this coming. The two people she hadn't told yet were Rudy and Mary. She had no idea how she was going to tell them and she feared she'd break down again, spiraling into another depression when she was slowly pulling herself out of the first bout.

She had also decided to pull out of missions. Though she was still very much part of the team, and though she absolutely hated staying in a doing nothing while everyone else risked their lives, she didn't want to do anything to put her or the baby in harm's way. This was the last piece of Wally she had; she wasn't about to risk that.

The crippling nausea and puking had started about a week after she found out. Most of the day she was bent over the toilet puking her guts out, but everyone was increasingly caring. M'gann stayed with her every time she could, holding her hair and gently rubbing her back. Dick wasn't really into the though of watching her puke, but a few days later he brought her warm milk with honey. He said Alfred had recommended it as a home remedy for nausea. She almost cried tears of happiness when that night she was able to keep her food down.

The insatiable hunger and the cravings had only started a week ago. She was eating everything in sight and gaining weight steadily. At night she craved things she previously hated, like donuts and Slurpees. Sometimes her angered soared when Dick told her she shouldn't head out at two in the morning to get her treats, saying it was too dangerous. She had to forcefully remind him that she could take care of herself by grabbing his arm and flipping him onto his back. She was so eager to get away from her mood swings that he offered to get her the snacks himself. Another time she'd almost punched Conner in the face when he suddenly asked why she was gaining so much weight so quickly. M'gann covered his mouth and pulled him out of the room so she could explain how pregnancy worked.

She hadn't really given much thought to her increasing appetite until M'gann brought it up one day while they were watching TV.

"Have you ever thought that maybe you're carrying a speedster in there?" She'd asked.

Artemis had dropped the spoon she was using to dig into the ice cream pint. She _hadn't_ thought about it.

"_What_?" She asked.

"I mean," M'gann started, "maybe that's why you're hungry all the time. What if it isn't you, what if it's the baby being hungry all the time?"

"That…" Artemis whispered, stunned, "could be possible…"

"Maybe it's time to call Dr. Randall."

* * *

Now here she was, waiting on the bed as Dr. Randall came in and set up his medical equipment.

Dick and M'gann had insisted in being there with her, to her extreme mortification. Thankfully Conner had decided to wait outside. Even so, she really wasn't looking forward to spreading her legs in front of two of her close friends.

"What exactly are we going to do today?" She asked Dr. Randall as he placed her feet up on the stirrups and Dick's face started turning bright red.

"We're going to make sure everything is fine." Dr. Randall started, "We'll do an ultrasound and listen to the baby's heartbeat."

Artemis' hear thundered in her chest. She was going to hear a _heartbeat_. The only proof she could have that there was a little person growing inside her.

Dr. Randall started putting lubricant on the ultrasound probe and Dick almost fainted.

"Is that-?" he started.

"Going inside her?" Dr. Randall said in a very clinical voice. "Yes."

At least Dick spared her the mortification by turning his back for a little while.

It was incredibly uncomfortable, but Artemis held onto M'gann's hand and gritted her teeth.

"There we go." Dr. Randall said excitedly.

They all turned to the screen and saw it, a tiny little baby about the size of a finger.

"There's your baby." Dr. Randall smiled at her.

Her eyes filled with tears immediately. It was real, _this_ was real. Wally had left, but she got the best present she could ever ask for. M'gann turned to her and smiled, tears also filling her eyes. She gently wiped away Artemis' tears. "Congratulations" she said.

Dick continued staring at the screen, his mouth making a small O shape. "What's that over there?" he asked suddenly.

Dr. Randall looked at the screen and suddenly moved the probe gently to one side. Artemis winced.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Dr. Randall didn't answer, he took another strange instrument and put it on her belly. It made sounds, it sounded like…a heartbeat!

"Is that the heartbeat?!" Artemis exclaimed.

"Yes, but-" Dr. Randall started.

"But what?! What's wrong?!"

"There are two heartbeats." Dr. Randall said calmly.

_Two…heartbeats?_

Her confused look must have given her away because Dr. Randall clarified.

"Twins."

M'gann gasped loudly and brought a hand to her mouth, Dick just continued to stare at the monitor.

"Wally West, you just had to go and leave me here with twins didn't you?"

* * *

That night, after the shock had worn off, Artemis laid in bed, her hand gently cradling there barely-there bump on her stomach, and cried. She curled up on herself and asked Wally how she could do this without him. How could she take care of two possible speedsters all by herself? Dr. Randall said her insatiable appetite could be because she had twins or because one, or both of them could have inherited their father's power. She didn't know anything about this power. What could she teach them? How could she be a good mother? _How could he leave her now?_

She cried and vowed she would protect them.

* * *

The next morning she was at Mary and Rudy's doorstep. Mary opened the door and gasped. It has been months since she'd seen Artemis.

"Artemis!" she exclaimed, before wrapping her in a tight hug. "Where have you been?"

Tears were already invading Artemis' eyes. "I'm sorry Mary, I just need time."

She nodded and ushered her inside where Rudy also wrapped her in hug. Inside she sat at the table with them, a mug of hot chocolate in front of her. Wally's favorite.

"Is something wrong, Artemis?" Mary asked.

"I just-" she started, "I have some news."

"Oh?"

Artemis stood up, slowly taking off the jacket she wore. She had purposely put on a tight fitting black shirt so her bump could show through.

"Artemis?" Mary asked, confused, before her eyes spotted the bump. She looked up into Artemis' eyes, questioning.

Artemis smiled sadly and nodded.

In seconds she was wrapped up in a hug; she could hear Mary's sobs. Rudy still sat at the table, looking incredibly confused. Both women turned to him, tears in their, eyes and smiled.

"Congratulations, grandpa." Artemis said.


	3. Chapter 3

The night she tells Rudy and Mary the good news, they allow Artemis to spend the night at their home. She sleeps in Wally's room. She lays on his bed which still weirdly smells like him, even though he's only slept there a couple of times since they move in together. She takes the clothes that are left in his small closet and piles them on the bed. Then she lays on them and inhales the smell and for a second it's just as if he were there, laying next to her. She looks at the dresser and all the pictures still there, still intact. Various school portraits of Wally, a few pictures of her and Wally together when they started dating, and one photo of her, Wally, and Dick that they had taken about a year ago. She hugs herself, laying a hand on her bulging belly and closes her eyes.

It's the first time since he died that she falls asleep without crying.

In the morning, she wakes up with a smile.

* * *

The next week Artemis thinks it's time to pay her mother a visit, she hadn't seen her since the memorial they had held for Wally a few months earlier. Dick had insisted on accompanying her, but she declined. This was something she wanted to do alone. What she didn't expect was to find her sister sitting in the kitchen with her mother, Lian giggling happy on her lap. They both stared at Artemis for a moment, not expecting her to make a sudden appearance but Jade seem to understand the situation immediately, probably because she had been in a similar position a short time ago. She laid Lian on the blanket she had set up on the floor and went towards her, enveloping her in a hug. Artemis stiffened, it had been a long time since Jade had initiated any sisterly contact, but here she was holding her.

"Is it true?" Jade asked near her ear.

Artemis could only nod into her neck.

With a sigh Jade released her and pulled back, while they're mother kept asking what was wrong.

"She's pregnant." Jade stated simply.

Paula gasps softly and wheels herself towards her daughter.

"Oh Artemis…" she starts "Congratulations."

Paula smiles softly.

Jade places a hand on her belly, studying her carefully.

"How far along are you? You're showing a lot more than I was."

"Just about 4 months." Artemis says. "I'm showing a lot because…well because it's twins."

For a moment she thinks Jade will faint.

"Twins?!" she exclaims and Lian giggles in the background. "Well, good luck with that sis."

"They might also be speedsters."

Jade's eyes widen.

Paula laughs softly.

"Well I suppose the right daughter got the speedster twins." she says with a smile. "Jade couldn't have handled it."

"Like I would ever date a doofus like West." Jade answers before realizing what she just said.

Artemis looks looks down and wraps her arms around her growing belly.

"Artemis…" Jade starts. "I didn't-"

"It's alright." she interrupts. "You really couldn't have handled my doofus" She smiles.

Jade smiles back.

"So, why don't I teach you all about motherhood?" Jade says.

Artemis goes towards Lian and her up, cuddling to her chest and tickling her.

"Oh please." she starts "Did you forget who babysitted Lian every time you left?"

* * *

Two months go by quickly and by now pretty much everyone on the Justice League knows about the pregnancy. She's only 6 months along, but she looks like she could give birth any minute. She's also positively sure she's carrying speedsters now. Her appetite had gotten increasingly worse, she was now probably eating just as much as Wally used to, but not as fast. They were also moving uncontrollably The fist time she felt them kick she had gasped out loud during dinner at HQ and had nearly given Dick a heart attack. Now they didn't let her sleep at all, it seemed they deemed the night the most convenient time to be restless. As much as she loved them, Artemis didn't enjoy pregnancy. She felt completely useless. She was hot at night and cold in the mornings, and her ankles were so swollen she could hardly walk - and when she could she looked like a wobbling penguin. She had also gained an incredible amount of weight and her temper was out of whack She almost flipped Bart onto the floor one day when he told her she was even bigger than the pictures he had seen of her in the future. To be honest, she wanted it to be over. She wanted to have her babies with her, to hold the last pieces of Wally she had left tightly against her and never let go. Sometimes she'd dream of what they would look like and she always imagined two little boys that looked exactly like Wally racing each other to school. She woke up crying, wishing Wally would be there to see those moments.

It was during those moments that she needed him most that strange things started to happen. Once, she laid in bed with her ankles so swollen that she ended up in terrible pain. She remembered wishing how much she'd like to have him there, massaging her feet and back like he had done so many times after a mission, when the bedside lamp suddenly exploded. She'd screamed and Dick had run in, but after checking everything he concluded there had been a short circuit that had made the light bulb explode. But every time there was a lightning storm she could feel the hairs all over her body stand on end as if someone made out of static were trying to touch her, to reach her.

She started to think she was going slowly insane.

But she had put that out of her mind, because today was the day she would find out the sex. She needed to know, she couldn't contain her excitement anymore. A few weeks earlier Zatanna had taken her out baby shopping, but since she didn't know the sex all she could think of buying were green and yellow things. Colors that reminded her of Wally and Artemis, their happy days, their uniforms, the profession that had taken him away from her. She'd broken down in tears in the bathroom and Zatanna had held her tightly until her sobs stopped. So here she was, in the medical bay with Zatanna and Dick, waiting for Dr. Randall to do an ultrasound. Dick had only agree to come after he was sure absolutely _nothing_ would be going _inside_ of her this time and Zatanna was just too excited to not be there. However, it was very awkward to lay there between them, Artemis thought. Things had been very tense between them since Dick started dating Barbara.

"Okay." Dr. Randall said, applying the familiar cold gel to her belly. "Are you ready to find out?"

"More than ready."

Dr. Randall moved the machine around her belly, searching and then turned the monitor towards her.

"Here's baby #1." he said with a smile. "He's nice and healthy, and growing very quickly. These two might be born before we know it."

The image on the screen showed the distinct shape of a baby punching his little fists into the air.

"And this one is a girl." Dr. Randall said.

Artemis felt tears spring to her eyes blurring the view of the screen. The few times she and Wally had talked about starting a family he'd always say he wanted a little girl. She thought he would want a boy, someone to pass on the Flash mantle to, but he had said: _"Why not a girl? She would be the first kick-ass female Flash. She could be called Flashette or something. Besides, I want a beautiful girl that will wrap me around her finger like her mom has. She would be my princess."_

_She's here_, Artemis thought, _she's here Wally. Your princess is here for you._

Zatanna seemed to sense what she was thinking, they'd talked about it once, and held her hand tightly.

"And here we have baby # 2." Dr. Randall continued. "Also healthy and strong…and a boy."

A boy! Could she be so lucky? Could she truly be carrying the perfect family she'd dreamed about even when Wally wasn't here anymore?

It seemed like a dream.


End file.
